A complex apartment
by BlendingSkies
Summary: Arthur could deal when Francis's boyfriend Matthew moved into the apartment but suddenly Matthew's brother, Alfred, needs a place to stay. Now Arthur is about to loose his mind as the annoying self-declared "hero" takes over his home. US/UK UK/US
1. Intro

A Complex Apartment

Intro

* * *

><p>Arthur Kirkland was a busy 24 year old man with short light brown hair, emerald eyes and eyebrows that made you stop and go, "wait…what the hell?" and for a short while he finally got a break to drink some of his favorite tea and read a nice book. I say a short while because not ten minutes in a long haired blonde Frenchman popped in with a smaller lightly-curled blonde Canadian beside him. Two pairs of blue eyes just stared at him until finally he looked up and said, "What do you want?"<p>

The Frenchman, named Francis, spoke up first, "You like Matthew right?" He said gesturing towards the younger man beside him.

Arthur Kirkland liked Matthew. Not the way you're thinking of course, he didn't like Mathew that way as much as he didn't like Francis that way. He liked Mathew because he was quiet, kind, kept to himself and helped out around the apartment. Mathew always paid his rent on time and always cleaned up his messes. Sometimes it felt like Mathew wasn't even there. Arthur was frankly shocked that such a perfect person could possibly be interested in Francis.

He remembered the day Francis brought it up to him, "Arthur…my boyfriend Mathew would it be okay if I let him stay in our apartment?" He asked with a strained smile. It wasn't like space was a problem at all actually, they had three rooms (though Arthur seriously doubted that Francis was going to let Mathew have a room of his home). They had a large kitchen, a spacious living room and a huge bathroom. Both Arthur and Francis came from unbelievably wealthy families and put together this place was just a small scratch in the overwhelming amount of money they had coming in.

The only reason they lived together was because Francis's father made a huge deal about how someone had to watch over his son and Arthur was the only person who could do it properly. Francis threw a fit and said Arthur was such a drag but once his father threatened to take away his allowance the Frenchman gave in. Arthur remembered that day clearly it was so embarrassing to see a 25 year old man hug his father's legs and cry. While Arthur actually worked at his parents company all Francis did was mooch and it was quiet sad to say the least.

No the problem with someone moving in was the fact it was someone Francis was dating. Arthur had stared at him blankly as his mind ran all the horrible things that would be wrong with anyone who was dating Francis. He shivered unpleasantly at the thought of some sexual deviant running around, well another sexual deviant that was dating the sexual deviant already in the apartment. As he stared into the already whimpering face of Francis though he couldn't just make himself say an outright no so instead he decided to at least be fair and say, "Well…let me meet him first then we'll see."

"Oh! You're going to love him Arthur I swear!" Francis said his face lighting up. "Mathew is such the sweetest thing ever and so cute and yes! Thank you!" He hugged Arthur tightly who pushed him off with an angry yell. Upon meeting Matthew, Arthur realized the boy was perfect and there was no way he couldn't let him into the house. He supposed that very moment was when his guard went down. He should've known letting Francis get away with one thing would have a domino effect.

Because now Arthur immediately knew something was up. It was just five months from when Francis had Mathew move in and suddenly he felt like he was in the same predicament. "Yes. Mathew hasn't done anything to make me hate him and he always acts proper unlike you." Arthur said staring back down at the book. "So where are you getting at?"

"Well you see…" Francis said nervously. "Mathew has this um, brother, of sorts, that needs a place to stay." Arthur sighed, he knew it was getting to something like this.

"Brother of sorts?" Arthur asked refusing to meet either of them in the eye.

"Well…he's my half-brother." Mathew said ever so quietly, "But he's always been there for me no matter what so I was wondering if…maybe…you know he could stay here for a while. His house caught on fire and he had nowhere to go. Please Arthur? It'd mean so much to me and him!" Arthur grumbled well what kind of heartless prick would he be if he couldn't take in someone whose house burnt down?

"That blows, how'd his house burn down?" Arthur asked peeking at them a bit from behind the safety of his book. Mathew glanced over at Francis who gave a 'for-the-love-of-god-don't-say-anything-look. Mathew then did the head tilt of 'but-he-asked-a-specific-question-what-am-I-suppose-to-do?' They both looked back at Arthur who gave a glare that promptly said 'someone-answer-the-damn-question-I'm-suspicious-now.'

"Uh…his friends had a party at his house and one of them somehow had this flamethrower and well-" Mathew jumped as Arthur swung his hand out to shush him.

"Wait. You want me to invite someone to live with us that has friends who have flamethrowers?" Arthur repeated. "Who the hell has a flamethrower and how many people are friends with those people! Especially the ones who bring them to parties!"

"Gilbert's always been like that!" Mathew said urgently. "It wasn't Alfred's fault!"

"Gilbert?" questioned Arthur. "Alfred?"

"Gilbert is uh, not important but Alfred is my brother and he's a really good guy Arthur I swear." Mathew said putting his hands together. Arthur bit his lip, oh no Mathew was about to pull his infamous puppy-dog eye routine. Baby blue eyes seemed to grow twice in size and stared up at Arthur like sapphires. "Please Arthur, I swear he won't be that much trouble he always tries his best at everything and once he gets here I'll help him find a part-time job. He won't be here for long just until he gets the money from his insurance and can go buy a new house."

Arthur tried to use all his concentration not to give in but it was impossible. He gave Francis a glare knowing full well that Francis knew he couldn't say no to Mathew. "Fine, it's okay I guess. When's he moving in?"

Mathew grinned as a small blush fell across his cheeks. "Tomorrow."

"You already invited him didn't you?"

"Yes."

Well…at least Mathew was being honest.


	2. Chapter 1

Going to sleep was difficult for Arthur that night. He kept on wondering what exactly his new housemate was going to be like. The more he thought about he realized he had never heard Matthew talk _once_ about having a sibling. Then again, Arthur really never paid that much attention to Matthew he could have easily said something and it would've flown right past him. Still, it seemed odd.

Maybe Matthew was ashamed of his sibling. Maybe everything there was to talk about him was just as bad as saying his house was burnt down by a flamethrower at a party. Arthur shuddered, what kind of delinquent brother did the small guy have! After hours of groaning and tossing around the bed he finally reached sleep only to dream of his apartment in flames.

BANG!

Arthur jumped and immediately fell face first into the floor. "The bloody hell?" He muttered standing up and rubbing his sore nose. Another bang echoed throughout the building and Arthur realized the sound was coming from the door. He glared at the alarm clock, it was four fifteen in the morning. Straightening out is his shirt he hurried over to door and swung it open getting ready to punch whoever the hell was waking him up so early in the morning. With a raised fist he stopped short at what **had** to be Matthew's brother.

"Yo! You must be Arthur right?" The man said with a grin. He had long dark blonde hair with a peculiar strand sticking up and eyes the color of the sky covered by glasses. He had a least three inches on Arthur's height too. Arthur completely lost train of thought as he realized how much like Matthew the man looked, but there was something off about him that made it really impossible to confuse the two. "Arthur dude!" Alfred shouted. "Can I come in now?"

Arthur snapped back to the moment. "Wait…wait a moment! Why are you here at four in the morning? You know how completely rude that is? I was sleeping you nitwit, everyone is sleeping! You don't do that!"

"Oh…" He went quiet for a just a second. "Hadn't thought about that, oh well." With that he pushed his way past Arthur with bags in one hand and a huge suitcase being dragged by the other. "Sorry man. I'll try to remember that. People sleep at four…"

"What do you mean try to remember that! Who doesn't sleep at four!"

"I don't." Alfred said turning around with a bright grin. Arthur felt himself turn pink, that was such a cute smile-and wait he couldn't be sidetracked at the moment! He shook his head and sighed. "Where do I put my stuff, Matty said you'd guys have a room for me."

Arthur grumbled. "You should really sleep at four in the morning it's just natural to do that. It's better for your body to sleep when it was meant to sleep. How'd you get in here anyway? You have to be buzzed in."

"Oh, I just told some lady coming in that I was going to surprise my brother by coming home early from a vacation trip. She was really wasted so she kind of went with real easy. Hey! That's another person awake at four, it's not just me anymore!" His eyes went wide with realization. "And the cab driver was awake, the people at the McDonalds were awake and the people at the second McDonald's were awake! That's like ten more people at the least! Really Arthur, I don't think you know what you're talking about."

For at least a silent minute Arthur stood trying to figure out if Alfred was getting smart with him, he realized the answer was no. Alfred wasn't getting smart with anyone, Alfred was an idiot. Dear lord, that's why Matthew never brought him up. And speaking of Matthew at that moment a door creaked and both of them turned their heads to see the guy and Francis walk out from the hallway. "What's going on, what's so loud?" Francis asked.

"Matty!" Alfred shouted tackling his brother to the floor. "Dude, I haven't seen you in like…forever! Well, I think to be exact it's been like three months right? Three months is a long time." He hugged his brother tightly before standing and pulling Matthew up with ease. "Sorry that we have to meet again like this. I would've stayed at Ivan's but his sister still lives there and she scares the shit outta me. Then Gilbert said I could stay with him but I'm way to upset with him and I'm pretty sure Ludwig hates everything about me. Kiku said I could too but I know he said it mostly to be a good person. Ha! He'd be freaking the entire time! He totally thinks I break everything!"

"He has the right to think that Alfred." Matthew said quietly.

"That's mean Matty." Alfred said with a pout. "Anyway, I'm here and I kinda wanna take a nap, so where's my bedroom?"

"You woke us up Alfred, say you're sorry first."

"But Matty…"

"Alfred."

"Tch, fine. I'm very sorry to wake you all up at four in the morning. I so wasn't thinking sorry dudes." He gave a salute and turned back to Matthew smiling. "Now where's my room?" Matthew sighed and led Alfred away to show him where he was staying, leaving Arthur and Francis alone in the room.

Arthur looked at Francis with a skeptical eye. "Have you ever met Alfred before Francis?"

"That doesn't seem like a very important question."

"You know it is." Arthur said with a glare. "That man is crazy."

"No he's not Arthur." Francis said waving his hand dismissively. "Alfred is just eccentric. Really I didn't think you'd have that much of a problem with him. I mean, he woke me from my beauty sleep but I'm not as upset about it as you are. Then again…I don't need it as bad as you do." He chuckled.

"Shut up!" Arthur growled. "That guy is rude, I can't believe he's related to Matthew, they're like complete opposites! All he did sense he got here was talk and each sentence proved how idiotic he is. I really don't like him Francis. Now it's like four thirty and there's no way I can go to sleep now. I might as well watch some TV and then cook breakfast."

Francis's eyes got wide, "NO! Don't cook breakfast Arthur! I know you're mad at the little Alfred but that's no reason to kill him!"

"My cooking isn't bad you frog! You just have no real taste in food! I won't take advice from a man that eats snails!" Arthur stomped over to the couch and turned on the television, the bright light shining over the dark room.

Matthew walked out of the extra room (now Alfred's room) and yawned. "Well…he went to sleep as soon as he hit the bed. I'm guessing he's stayed up for at least two days now. We have at least three or four hours before he wakes up and I'm going to use it to sleep." Matthew walked past Francis and headed for their bedroom.

Arthur blinked and then looked at Francis. "Did he just say that Alfred stayed up for two days? Why on earth would he do that? I told you the guys crazy."

"Alfred has insomnia Arthur." Francis said pushing back his hair. "He's tried all kinds of stuff to get rid of it but nothing's ever worked."

"Insomnia huh…" Arthur muttered. He now felt kind of like a jerk for judging the guy. Insomnia wasn't something that was his fault. Point being point though just because he couldn't sleep doesn't mean he should wake up the people offering him a place to stay at four in the morning.

"Well, I'm going back to my sweet Matthew, you can sit here like the old man you are." Francis said walking away.

"Wait!" Arthur shouted. "You seem to know a lot about Alfred, Francis, so when did you meet him? What was his job? How come he doesn't have a Canadian accent like Matthew?" Francis laughed. "What? Why are you doing that?"

"You know, for stating that you didn't like him earlier you sure are asking a lot of questions about him. Is Arthur crushing for once in his entire life? That's so cute!" Francis squealed and clasped his hands together.

"I'm not crushing on anyone Francis! For God's sake you're twenty-five don't even use that term anymore! We're not in junior high!" Arthur threw his house shoe at the man as he left laughing to himself. Arthur huffed and crossed his arms. Only Francis would think that someone could have a 'crush' after five seconds of meeting someone. He was an adult! Adults take time getting into a relationship, he'd at least have to hang with Alfred for a couple days before he could even tell if he actually liked the guy enough like that.

"But I'm totally not even considering it in the first place." Arthur said out loud. "No, so it doesn't matter if I hang out with Alfred. All that would happen if I hung out with him is that I would annoyed and he would talk about stupid things." His brain kept on rambling though, technically if it took a couple of days to decide if you like somebody it should take a couple of days to figure out if you _disliked_ somebody, right? After watching about two hours of mindless television Arthur went to kitchen to make breakfast. It was a good thing he didn't have work today or he'd be such a wreck.

Really Arthur didn't think he was such a bad cook, he made completely normal things that were super easy to make! In fact to prove it to the bastard he'd make a completely cliché breakfast. He went to the fridge and looked at everything they had. There had to be something to help him make his completely cliché but delicious breakfast. "Pancakes." Arthur stated, "And eggs and some biscuits."

"Throw some bacon into that hoe."

Arthur nearly jumped out of his skin. "The fu-Alfred!" He shouted turning around to have the man a mere inch away from his face. "What are you doing?"

"Heard the fridge open." Alfred said.

"…."

"Can I help?"

"What?"

"Help you cook." Alfred stated. "You're making breakfast right? That's like my favorite kind of food. It definitely needs bacon. Bacon is the essential to every breakfast meal. I also put it in all my other meals. Dude, the best food ever, ready, ready for this? Double Bacon Cheesebaconburger. You put bacon into the beef and into the cheese, then you add more bacon. BOOSH! That was your mind it just exploded."

"What?"

"Did you know you ask 'what?' a lot?" Alfred said smiling. Arthur looked the other way real quick, the guy smiled too much.

"Well you startle people a lot." Arthur said back.

"Touché. Okay so are you going to make the pancakes or the eggs? You guys have a sweet crib by the way. Matty always told me Francis mooched off his rich parents but I had no clue you guys got this much cash."

"Hey! I don't mooch. I do happen to work at my parents company but I'm also the rightful heir. In a couple more years it's going to be my company. You can make the eggs, Francis likes them sunny-side up and Matthew likes them-"

"Scrambled, yeah I know. He's my brother remember? I use to cook for him all the time." He put a skillet on the right side of the large stove and let Arthur have the left. Alfred started cracking the eggs on the side of the counter. "I like mine runny and covered in the extra grease."

"That's gross."

"Grease is a form of fuel for the human body."

"Bullshit."

"Probably but it tastes awesome. How do you like yours Artie?"

"Did you just call me Artie? Never mind, cook mine thoroughly and don't let it touch yours I really hate it runny and I really hate grease." Arthur kept his back turned to Alfred the entire time. He couldn't make himself look at the guy. He felt like if he did he wouldn't be able to stop looking at him. He wasn't going to deny it, Alfred was attractive. But still that didn't mean jack first off he didn't even know if Alfred was that way or not, it wasn't like just because Matthew was he was. They didn't come in pairs.

"Dude I still can't believe Matty moved in with his boyfriend. It's so weird. Now mom's bugging me and asking me why I can't be like Matty and find a steady guy. Matt totally screwed me over when he did this."

Well that answered Arthur's question.

No his face wasn't heating up every time their shoulders touched.

"Artie, you just burned all the pancakes."

"Son of a bitch!" Arthur shouted. This was all Alfred's fault! Who talks that much to some person they just met! It kept him distracted! It wasn't like he burnt the food all the time and nobody listen to Francis!

"It's cool, they're not that burnt. Francis and Matthew can deal. First off, Matthew likes anything if you put syrup on it and what does Francis know anyway? The first time I met the guy he took me to a restaurant where they serve snails. LIVE SNAILS. And he judges my diet of McDonalds? Seriously? Oh sorry, that dudes totally your friend didn't mean to offend. I mean I like that guy but his taste in food!"

"It's okay Alfred. I completely agree." Arthur said. "You're apologizing more than you did when you woke me up."

"Well I kind of understand how that was rude of me now so I'm trying to make up for it!" Arthur peered at Alfred through the corner of his eyes and saw him rip a bag of bacon open with his teeth. He let the entire contents of the bag fall into the skillet behind the one with eggs; The guy was not joking when he said he liked bacon. "Hey, it's only like six thirty in the morning we have the whole day ahead of us! Matthew has to work today, do you?"

"No, I have a day off." Arthur stated, afraid of where this was going.

"Cool! Then we can hang right? Get to know each other better and stuff. I mean, I don't know how long I'm going to be here and it'd really suck if the entire time it was just awkward silence across a room." Alfred laughed loudly.

Arthur wondered how the man could just speak so openly about anything that came to his mind. It seemed that no matter what went running through his brain he just decided to talk about it as loud as he could. Arthur couldn't even dream about acting like that! He had to analyze everything he said and was about to say and how the other person might react. He was a business man and you couldn't afford to mess up at a business meeting. One wrong word ticks off the wrong person and you're out a couple of millions of dollars.

At that moment Arthur realized he was probably the only person in the world who panicked this much at possibly thinking that a man was attractive. He blushed furiously to himself, who the hell reacted this much? What did it matter if he thought Alfred was good-looking? It wouldn't be a bad thing if he like someone! He still needed to know the man better of course but to know him better they had to hang out. He looked over at Alfred again and gave a grin.

"Sure that sounds like fun." He said hoping he didn't sound like he was about to choke on air. Staring into those bright blue eyes almost took his breath away. Alfred really was something…

"Dude, that is so awesome. I bet you know all these super cool restaurants and views and stuff." Alfred took all the bacon of the skillet and turned off the stove. "Look's like breakfast is done!" He cupped his hands together like a megaphone. "Matty! Mattykins! Francis! There is this totally all American breakfast of awesome and you should come eat it!"

"Alfred! I was sleeping!" called out a soft voice pathetically.

"Matty come eat the food!" Alfred shouted again stomping his foot. You could hear the sounds of bed springs followed by footsteps as Matthew appeared around the corner.

"I'm bringing it back to bed." Matthew said taking down plates and silverware. "Francis doesn't feel like getting up. This does look really nice though, thanks Alfred. Honestly though you should've waited a little more before cooking."

"Dude, it was Arthur's idea to start cooking so soon, I just followed him."

Matthew went pale for a second. "Arthur…Arthur helped cook? Um, what did he happen to make by the way?" Arthur glared at him. Seriously he wasn't a bad cook! Matthew poked at the eggs, lifting them up carefully. "Was it the eggs? They look safe but you-it was the pancakes." He picked one up almost as if it would explode at any given moment. "I'll just get us one apiece…I mean we'll be full with everything else anyway." He went to the fridge and took a whole bottle of syrup out, barely holding it between two fingers. "Thanks again!" With that he scurried off back to his room with Francis and Alfred stuck out his tongue.

"Ah, ignore him, I bet the pancakes are great." Alfred said and as if to prove it, he placed five on his own plate and then placed almost all the bacon on the side. Arthur was happy for a moment and then it was replaced by fear. Everyone else who tried his food cried out in disgust (not because it was bad damn it but because _they_ had no sense of taste!) what if Alfred didn't like it either?

As they sat down at the table Arthur ate the food noticing Alfred was a great cook. He didn't know when or how the guy did it but at some point he managed to put spices into his food. He had been given the simple task of making eggs and bacon! How do you complicate that! How did he find there spice rack in five seconds without Arthur even noticing it! _Because you were too busy trying to avoid him you socially-awkward weirdo! Who ignores a handsome guy!_

Great now he was mentally yelling at himself. "Arthur!" He jumped up and gripped the edges of the table, son of a gun Alfred was loud. Quickly Arthur saw that Alfred had taken a bite out of the pancakes. He felt his breath hitch. "These pancakes…" _Here it comes…_ "They freaking rock. You are like a mad genius. Seriously." Alfred then proceeded to eat the rest of the pancake in one bite and attack the other ones like a rabid dog.

Arthur sat there for a moment, his fork dropped out of his hand. "You…you just complimented food…food that I made."

Alfred didn't even bother to look up, "So? You're an awesome cook."

Arthur felt really happy inside, ridiculously happy for something as small as being complimented for burnt pancakes. It might've had something to do with the fact the guy who said it looked like he belonged to a modeling agency and cooked the eggs and bacon like a pro chef. "I think that's the first time that's ever happened." Arthur said out loud without meaning too. He gasped and bit his lip. Well…that was embarrassing.

"You're being way to modest man, you're awesome. Come on, bro-fist me." He held out his clenched fist across the table as he stuff pancake and bacon into his mouth.

"What?"

"Bro-fist. Hit your fist on my fist." Alfred said. "It's a sign of acknowledgment between two awesome dudes that something awesome happened." Arthur gave a light chuckle and followed orders. He bro-fisted a man with a stuffed face who had a fork in the other hand in some wild attempt to still cram more food in there somehow. It felt…nice.

Thank you everyone who reviewed! I made this one longer…I hope I didn't let anyone down. I'm sorry Arthur's so crazy, but I feel like he's like that. He's always switching emotions so quick! I feel like he never knows how to act or feel about things. You're criticism helped a lot and I hope it helps me get better! To CaptainCynical: Gah, I thought I did make a new paragraph for things like that! DX -sadness- Descriptive! I'll try! -determination- To Yuu-chi: Thank you for being impressed! :3 I'll keep your advise in mind! To Pyschokittenterror: Thank you~! I like stories where the relationship develops nicely and I hope I'm able to do it right! and To SkittlesxOJxyaoi: I really hope you still like it so far! :3 ...by the way there's a reason even though Arthur and Francis come from rich familes they're not supergaurded. (that's a word..-) But we'll come to that later. :3

Let me know how I'm doing~!


	3. Chapter 2

Arthur didn't know who Alfred's general practitioner was, but the man should have his medical license taken away for not prescribing Alfred with the strongest ADHD medicine available. Alfred had yanked Arthur out of the apartment the moment the dishes were in the dishwasher, and demanded to see absolutely everything. Currently, they were downtown, meandering from one shop to the next before they headed to the mall. Well, Arthur was meandering. Alfred was bouncing from window to window like a hyperactive puppy, exclaiming over the smallest thing.

"Artie! Look at this jacket! It's so freaking wicked, yo!"

"OH MY GOD IT'S RITA'S!"

"Look at that picture! It's so weird!"

"Dude I wanna see that jacket again!" Alfred then proceeded to drag Arthur unceremoniously into the store where the owner watched them warily. Arthur was just opening his mouth to tell Alfred off but before he could do so, Alfred yelled "LOOK AT THAT ONE!" pointing at a sign off in the distance shining in the sunlight, and pulling Arthur bodily from the shop at an impressive speed. Arthur's face heated with embarrassment as he apologized to the people Alfred dragged him into.

There had been actual plans to drive around the city and see real sights. In fact they had been at the park for around an hour. Arthur had, in fact, pried Alfred away from the swing set much to Alfred's (overly loud) protests. Arthur walked at a distance as Alfred ran in circles, scaring pigeons, ducks, sparrows, anything with wings. Suddenly, Alfred yelled.

"HOLY SHIT, DUDE! LOOK AT THAT MALL! IT'S SO DAMN BIG! THERE'S NO WAY I'M NOT GOING IN THAT MALL! COME ON, ARTIE!" He then dragged Arthur back to the car, and wriggled in his seat the entire ten minute ride to the mall. The entire ride there he had commented on how nice Arthur's car was, how nice the city was, how nice the weather was, and how nice every damn thing was. He was a walking freaking ray of sunshine.

He drove Arthur stark raving mad, yet he found himself strangely enjoying himself.

"Aaaww, Arthur this store is closed too," Alfred pouted as he gripped the metal bars.

"Of course it is, Alfred," Arthur retorted. "Most of the mall doesn't open until eleven. I told you that, git."

Alfred paused for a moment before turning to Arthur with serious eyes. "What's a git?"

Arthur closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Seriously bro, what is it?"

"Another name for Alfred F. Jones."

"… I think you made that up."

Arthur chuckled humorlessly as Alfred glared with a childish pout. "Well, aren't you clever, figuring that out by yourself." Alfred crossed his arms.

"Oh come on, that's so sarcasm."

Before Arthur got the chance to say something witty in reply, a woman's voice made its way to them. "Arthur! Is that you?" Alfred and Arthur looked around, and spotted a pretty young woman waving enthusiastically at them in the distance, smiling and dragging a professionally dressed dark-haired man behind her. The woman stopped in front of Arthur, grinning widely, and threw her arms around his neck. Arthur patted her on the back awkwardly. "Oh my God it's been forever!" She glanced quickly at Alfred and a sly grin spread across her face. "Who's this guy here? He kinda looks like Francis's boyfriend, doesn't he? Taller though…more muscles."

"And better-looking," Alfred said with a laugh. "Matthew's my little brother!" he held out his hand and she shook it firmly.

"Elizeveta, this is my new roommate, Alfred. He's staying in my apartment for a while," Arthur introduced. "Alfred, this is Elizeveta." An awkward cough came from the brunette man in glasses behind her. "And her husband, Roderich."

"Roderich Edelstein, and you're Alfred…?" Roderich paused, shaking Alfred's hand too and waiting for the rest of Alfred's name.

"Alfred F. Jones! Mattie and me had different dads." Alfred winked at Elizaveta. "That's where my better looks come from." Elizaveta giggled and threaded her fingers with Roderich's.

Arthur was surprised at the new information. Different dads and they looked so much alike. He wondered briefly if Alfred was raised by his birth or step-mother, but quickly filed it away for further perusal.

A sharp ringtone cut through the air, shocking them all, and Alfred dug his cell phone out of his pocket. He smiled apologetically. "Sorry guys, gotta take this real quick." He flipped the phone open, and walked away answering it out of earshot. Arthur watched him closely and saw Alfred's face contort from neutral to annoyed to distressed. _Who is he talking to?_

A sharp elbow caught him in his ribs and he yelped loudly. "Christ, Elizaveta! What was that for?"

Elizaveta was glaring, pouting, and leering at the same time. Arthur had no idea how she pulled that off. "You know exactly what for! You didn't tell me there was a new hot guy living in your apartment! Seriously, he's _gorgeous_!" Roderich rolled his eyes and sighed heavily in exasperation.

"You do realize that your husband _is_ right behind you, correct?" he asked. Elizaveta squeezed his hand.

"You know I love you, honey, but I'm thinking about Arthur here! He hasn't had a date since, like, high school!" She smirked at Arthur as he steadily turned red. _Why does everyone assume that I haven't had a date since my last serious relationship?_ "And now this bee-_yoo_-tiful guy just waltzes into his life, and it's the perfect time for him to get back in the game!"

"What game? There is no _game_!" Arthur insisted. Elizaveta raised an eyebrow and Roderich shook his head at his wife's antics. "Are you implying that I should date him? I just met him!"

"Yup! And don't tell me you haven't been thinking it!" She narrowed her eyes at him. "I know these things."

Damn her woman's intuition!

"Even if I was interested, I wouldn't pursue him right away! I'll take my time and go at my own pace. As it is, all he has going for him is looks." Arthur couldn't help glancing over at Alfred and admiring the view. "He's lacking intelligence in painful proportions. Plus, he's astonishingly blunt. Seriously, whatever he thinks at the moment just comes flying out of his mouth!"

"I married Elizaveta, and you're complaining about someone who speaks his mind?" Roderich interjected bemusedly. He straightened his glasses with an air of refinement. "Please."

"All I'm saying is keep me in the know," Elizaveta hissed. "Or I'll be very upset." A child passing by saw the look on her face and ran screaming for his mother.

"Yes, yes." Arthur replied, waving his hand in the air as if dismissing the issue. "But I can't promise anything. Besides, I can't even fathom if we'd make a good—" suddenly an arm was slung over his shoulder, and a grinning face entered his line of vision. "And he's back."

"Hey Artie! Watcha talkin about? Sorry about that stupid call about stupid stuff."

"The merits of eyebrow waxing," Elizaveta replied wittily. Arthur scowled at her. That was a sensitive topic! Like his cooking. And needlework. And his "old man" habits. And his "prudishness" (which was completely untrue, he was rather wild in college!). And his tea. Alright, his self-confidence was quite low.

"Really? I like his eyebrows. They're like, a trademark or something. You should get them copyrighted!" Alfred laughed. Arthur turned scarlet. "He'd look weird without them."

"You haven't known me for twelve hours yet, you dolt! How in the Queen's name would you know what looks right and what doesn't on me?" Arthur demanded. And why hadn't Alfred moved his arm yet? It was getting to be too uncomfortable.

"I sense it. With my spidey sense."

"I like you!" Elizaveta declared.

"I would worry about your taste in men if you weren't married to me," Roderich sighed. He checked his watch gracefully. "Come Elizaveta, before we're late for the symphony. Good day Arthur. Alfred." Elizaveta nodded to them and took her husband's gentlemanly gesture of a proffered arm.

"Bye guys! Arthur, keep me posted!" Elizaveta called as they left. Alfred waved.

"Later, yo!" Alfred yelled. Arthur sighed heavily. How did he ever end up with such strange friends. He met Elizaveta first, but got along better with Roderich, when the poor man was able to get a word in edgewise.

"Aha!" Alfred exclaimed, startling Arthur out of his reverie. "I know where I've heard her name before! Gilbert knows her! She used to beat him up with a frying pan! I never met her till now though."

_Gilbert? As in, burn-everything-burn-it-to-the-ground Gilbert? Flamethrower Gilbert? How does Elizaveta know someone like that?_ But Arthur quickly decided he didn't want to know. Ever.

"Gilbert's a real cool guy, ya know, besides the fact he burned my house down. I'll probably forgive by next week. He used to have a crush on Mattie when we were younger! I was always so terrified of the idea of a friend dating my brother. I didn't know what I was going to do." They had started walking again and Arthur had managed to drag them into Barns and Noble.

"And Matthew dating Francis is better?" Arthur scoffed.

"Probably not. Man, I'll never win." Alfred said with a slight grimace. He took a step forward only to jerk to a halt. "Dude, Artie, is that you?" He asked pointing to a magazine. Arthur stared down at the glossy material and sighed.

"Yes, that is I."

"Holy shit! You're on the cover of a magazine!"

"Keep it down Alfred, Jesus, I don't want everyone to hear you." Arthur hissed, smacking Alfred on the back of the head. Alfred yelped but picked up the magazine and started flipping through the pages.

"So…you're like the upcoming business man for…Kirkland Electronics?" Alfred asked with wide eyes. "That's AWESOME! Hey, if you're such a big shot…why was it so easy for me to get in your house? Why are you living with Francis and Mattie? You should have your own house near some ocean where you still wear a nice suit everywhere but you can relax in the quiet tropical breeze. Drink mojitos all the time."

"First off, you said it yourself I'm the _upcoming_ business man. It's not my business until my father retires. Secondly, because Francis is a small child and needs someone to watch him, or he'd spend all his money on alcohol and flamboyant clothing."

"Isn't he doing that anyway?"

"I promise you I'm stopping him from going broke."

Alfred bit his lip and placed his hands on his hips. The pose almost made Arthur chuckle. Almost. "That sounds silly. I guess you and Francis must be real close if you're willing to do that for him. But shouldn't you have like bodyguards or something? Or NINJAS. Oh my God Artie, let's get ninja's _PLEASE_?" His eyes lit up with excitement and he jumped up and down.

"'We'? There is no 'we'. _I'm_ not getting ninjas. No one's getting bloody ninjas!" Arthur said crossly. "I don't want a bunch of men in suits following me around and I don't want people recognizing me and I don't want everyone knowing every moment of my life and I don't want to be on a magazine!" The last part came out unnecessarily loud and Arthur had realized he had caused people to stare at him. He had let his emotions get the best of him…_shit._ Alfred glanced around nervously before wrapping his arm around Arthur's waist.

"Okay babe, you win. I don't know what movie that line's from. Hey! Let's go rent it!" Alfred exclaimed, and promptly dragged Arthur out of the store to the parking lot, both their faces burning.

"Sooo…that was a really lame lie, but I was a total hero get you out of there like that!" Alfred declared, striking a "hero" pose. "You sound like you need to let off some steam, dude. But shrinks are communists, so you can talk to me instead!" Alfred beamed.

Arthur growled viciously. "That whole thing was your fault because of you and your sodding ninjas! I don't think talking to you will make feel any better! It's just going to upset me more!" It wasn't true, but Arthur was still reeling in embarrassment.

"Nah, I'm a people person." Alfred replied brightly. "And you're like my super cool British friend and clearly you need to vent so I'll be the hero you can talk to!" Arthur glared at him in exasperation and then realized that Alfred's arm was still around his waist. He awkwardly mumbled something that he didn't even understand but it just made Alfred smile brighter. "That's a yes, right?"

It was easier to talk to Alfred because Alfred talked about everything. Also, he called Arthur his friend and it been a damn long time since he had a new friend (Or at least one that didn't just make fun of him or called when he needed a designated driver). Talking to Alfred didn't seem like it would be a mistake. But Arthur knew himself and he knew if he got overly emotional it could become a dangerous situation. Allowing oneself to become closer to others was a difficult and arduous process; one could get hurt.

"Why do you think talking to you will make me feel better?"

"Because obviously you need to talk to somebody, and I like you Arthur I really do. I mean, you're this super cool awesome dude and you're cool with me right? So that means we're friends!" Alfred stated happily. "So whenever you need somebody to talk to I'll be there!"

Arthur crossed his arms. "Alright, fine. I guess talking to you occasionally wouldn't hurt. I mean…you're idiocy might prevent you from understanding, but it's a small sacrifice."

"Aw, that's mean bro," Alfred sniffed jokingly.

"Shove it, moron. You act like some twisted cliché version of an American teenager. Sad part is you're an adult." Arthur shook his head. "I mean really, who say's 'bro'?"

"Americans say 'bro'!" Alfred yelled, finally removing his arm from Arthur's waist. He didn't seem to think anything of it, but Arthur was finally able to breathe normally. "And we're like the greatest country ever! Now come on, let's go to McDonalds!"

"We went to McDonalds before we came to the mall! Which was right after you ate breakfast might I add!" Arthur exclaimed. "Also, Britain is the greatest country ever. There'd be no America if it wasn't for Britain."

"…Fine. It's second." Alfred said nodding his head. Before Arthur could start yelling at him again he held his hands up. "I have spoken! Now come on, let's go get hamburgers and you can tell me everything you want over a dirty fast-food table! It'll be great!"

"It doesn't sound 'great'."

"Shows what you know. Everything's better over a dirty fast-food table!"

"Everything you say sounds utterly repulsive," Arthur retorted.

They wandered for what seemed like forever in the parking lot, (because Alfred pushed them out the bookstore which as the exact opposite direction they came from and Arthur flatly refused to go back into the mall again). Alfred called shotgun, as if anyone else was there to take it from him. "We'll go to McDonalds this time, but I'm choosing next," Arthur told him sternly.

"Thanks Artie! You're the best, man!" Alfred shouted, hugging him. A familiar ring tone pierced through the air again and Alfred's smile slid off his face faster than if it had been slapped off. "Damn it, not again. Uh…can you get the car running? I'll be in in a sec."

Arthur didn't argue, but decided once he was in the car he didn't like whoever was on the other end of that phone. Clearly Alfred must have had an assigned ring tone. Maybe the song was related to them somehow? But he couldn't just get out of the car and try to listen to the lyrics. He glanced at Alfred through the rear-view mirror.

Alfred had a scowl on his face. Arthur wished that he could read lips, because whatever Alfred was saying he was very angry about it. Other expressions flitted across his face too though the one that Arthur didn't recognize right away was the one that appeared just as often as anger: hurt. _Who the hell is he talking too?_ It was driving Arthur mad.

Just as Alfred looked as if he'd completely blow up, he stopped mid-sentence and blushed. He _blushed!_ Who the hell could make Alfred blush? Alfred looked almost adorable as he mumbled into the phone and then snapped it shut. Then he punched the air angrily.

As he headed back to the car, Arthur tried to act nonchalant, as if he hadn't been staring at him the entire time. "Seriously man, if he doesn't stop calling me I'm going to lose my mind." Alfred muttered getting the car.

"Who?" Arthur asked, carefully not-curious. Because really, he didn't care _that_ much. Whoever Alfred talked to was his business.

"No one." It was clearly a lie. "Anyway, we're supposed to talk about you, not me! We'll get to me later, I'm too awesome for you not to know about." He smiled but something seemed off.

Apparently what was Alfred's business _stayed_ Alfred's business. And for some uncomfortable reason, Arthur didn't like that. He didn't like that at all.

This was beta'd by the amazing: La Principessa Dell'Opera :D She totally rocks!

Egasp, who is Alfred talking too? Anyone wanna make any guess? :3 Thank you everyone that reviewed and alerted! It so makes my day, please keep it up! Every review makes me smile. YAY, we have an insecure Arthur...that's not really a yay. It's more sad...but now we know a little more about him! Next chapter shall reveal more of Alfred's past. dun-dun-dun. Also, it may contain some pissed-off Arthur...because I like it when he's like that, and he has a very good reason to be (and it's not directed at Alfred this time)


	4. Chapter 3

More than a month had passed since Alfred had moved in, and one could see traces of him everywhere in the apartment. It was relatively clean, but he seemed to be everywhere: McDonald's bags in each trashcan, video game cases piled randomly in corners, bacon stuffed in the fridge, and the overall smell of fast food. The apartment seemed smaller now with this addition, more cluttered, but thankfully not filthy.

Within the first two weeks of his moving in, much to Arthur's surprise, Alfred landed a job teaching at a nearby high school. Arthur had been shocked to learn what Alfred did for a living—he just didn't seem like the type to teach—but he couldn't deny that Alfred worked hard. His room was the messiest in the house. Papers were _everywhere_. Granted, Francis's used to be worse. Wine bottles and clothes he never wore littered the floor, but once Matthew moved in he stopped that dreadfulness.

The difference in the apartment was expected, but still, Arthur frowned as he surveyed it. He really just frowned for show; he actually felt more like smiling. But he wouldn't ever admit it, besides, it was rather fun to yell at him and exchange witty (or witless) banter. More often than not, it started with "Alfred, what's this mountain of rubbish?" or "Alfred, what grown man spends every bleeding moment shooting zombies?" or "Alfred, the sofa is not your bed! Get up, you drooling git!" Francis always smirked and claimed it was because Arthur just liked screaming Alfred's name. Arthur threw the TV remote at him for that remark and grinned sadistically when it hit the damn Frenchman in the groin.

But if he was brutally honest with himself (a rare occurrence, but not unheard of, and definitely warranted in this situation), he was strangely happy. Alfred actually gave a damn about him, and it was a nice change of pace to actually confide in someone for once instead of bottling up all his emotions only to have them explode in his face later down the proverbial road. Alfred listened, and he _understood_. Often around twice a week—or more if they could afford it—they'd go out for dinner or lunch, and Alfred would just let Arthur talk. Arthur talked about growing up with brothers and a sister who hated him, the pressure of being the Next Big Businessman, his father's expectations, and when his father yelled at him as if he was a naughty child again. Alfred would retort "But _you_ yell at me like I'm a kid, too!"

To which Arthur would respond, "Stuff it, you idiot. You are." And then he'd smile and Alfred would grin and in that moment everything was perfectly right.

In that one short month, Alfred had also unwittingly convinced Arthur that he was a perfectly normal human being. Rather crazy and eccentric, Arthur thought, but also beautifully unique. He just didn't know Arthur thought of him that way. Arthur prided himself in his ability to take his time in important situations, and this was an important situation. Alfred was important.

He was also here temporarily. As soon as all the paperwork went through and his insurance company stopped being "retarded", Alfred would pack up his belongings and move back home. Arthur chose not to think about it. So when the four of them were out to dinner one day and Matthew asked "So are you going to get a house back home, Alfred?" it caught Arthur's attention.

"Well duh, Mattie!" Alfred exclaimed around a mouthful of steak. Arthur winced at the sight. "I can't afford to live here!" He swallowed and chuckled. "Silly bro. Plus, Gilbert and Kiku would miss me." Arthur's breath caught in his throat. Alfred had other friends. Of course. They were important too. Arthur was just his friend. "But there's no way I'm not coming back to visit! Not when I know you have a kickass roommate like Arthur!" Alfred looped his arm around Arthur's neck, surprising him, and ruffling Arthur's already messy hair.

"Alfred, let go! We're in public and you pull a stunt like this! This is rather undignified!" Arthur exclaimed, trying not to make a scene. But if Alfred had listened to him for once, he wouldn't have been Alfred. But it was still inappropriate, for Christ's sake! "Besides, you should visit your brother more often anyway!"

"Ah, _l'amour_. Just see their obvious flirting, _Matthieu_. I can just smell the _sexual tension_," Francis leered at them, nudging Matthew's elbow. Matthew blushed heavily, but Alfred laughed. He always laughed, and it made it difficult for Arthur to discern what Alfred thought of him.

"Really, Francis?" Alfred said, releasing Arthur and returning to his food as if he was starving. "No matter who I talk to, you always think I'm flirting!"

Francis scoffed. "I do not! You are so friendly with everyone, Alfred, but even more with _mon cher _Arthur. You act as if you are everyone's friend."

Alfred grinned. "I am everyone's friend! I'm too awesome not to like. I kick ass!"

"Yes, Sir Humility." Arthur said, a smile playing around his mouth. "You 'kick ass' you say? You couldn't kick your way out of a paper bag."

Alfred turned to Arthur, his eyes wide. "But that doesn't make sense, Arthur. Why would I be in a paper bag?" Arthur slapped his palm to his forehead.

"Alfred, you have a beautiful face. Let's not ruin it by talking." A smug, perverted grin spread its way across Francis's face, but he wisely said nothing.

Alfred grumbled, and Arthur chuckled. He couldn't help it sometimes. Only Alfred could go from being the most beautiful man in the world to adorable little boy. "You guys act like I'm an idiot, but I'm a teacher you know! I went to college and grad school! I teach _science_, dammit! Chemistry, biology, phsyics, anatomy! I know how you guys _work_!"

"We know we know, eh?" Matthew said gently, patting his brother's hand. "They're just kidding, aren't you guys?" He glared pointedly at Francis and Arthur, both of whom had the grace to look a little guilty.

"Of course we are," Arthur replied, waving his hand in the air as if to dismiss the issue and resting it in the middle of Alfred's back. "It's just too simple to tease the American."

"Which is _retarded_ because you all live here! And ya wanna know why? 'Cause we're the best country EVAR!" Alfred shouted, fist-pumping. Arthur rolled his eyes. When Alfred was patriotic, he was damn patriotic. It was almost unbelievable how someone could love a country and all of its clichés so deeply and so much, but Alfred managed to do it.

Arthur sipped his tea and watched Alfred talk (yell) animatedly out of the corner of his eye. He was ranting about how America was the best at everything and totally inspired all these other countries and these other countries loved America so much they put McDonald's on every street corner which reminded him about this one time he was hanging out with Gilbert…Arthur lost track of the conversation after that. But what Alfred had said was true; he forgave Gilbert about at week ago and now those two had late night Xbox Live sprees. Listening to a story of two men arguing about "who the hell got pwned" was a conversation Arthur didn't get to listen to often. "So anyway Gilbert lit off the firework and it messed up man! It didn't even go in the air! It just, like, exploded! Right in front of us!" Alfred was flailing his arms and showing exactly how the explosion went. "We were all running around yelling, and Feliciano got burned a bit, and Ludwig was so pissed at Gilbert he kicked him out of the house all day!"

Matthew laughed. "I remember that! It wasn't even a real burn! He just got carpet rash from running inside so fast! But he cried so much and everyone knows Ludwig is head over heels in love with him!"

"But kicking your brother out of the house for a whole day is just cold man, even if it's just a day. I wouldn't do that to you, Mattie," Alfred said, crossing his arms and nodding. "Even if you totally bummed my boyfriend. If I had one right now."

"Thanks Alfred, that means a lot," Matthew smiled. Suddenly a cell phone started ringing, and Alfred pulled it out of his pocket, frowning.

"Fuck, Ivan," he muttered, glaring at it. As soon as those words were out of his mouth, Matthew placed his fork down, folded his arms across his chest, and scowled at Alfred. Alfred cringed like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Ivan? I thought you stopped talking to him, Alfred," Matthew said pointedly. Alfred smiled sheepishly although it looked more like a grimace.

"Um, well, it's not like _that_, Mattie! He's still my friend, I'm allowed to talk to my friends." Alfred stared at his phone distastefully. "He's just checking on me because I moved. He's worried, that's all."

"I don't like it."

"Well, I'm gonna answer this real quick, or he'll never stop calling, you know that." Alfred said, exuding confidence. Arthur caught the waver in his voice that said he was nervous. He and Matthew stared at each other for a long moment until Matthew sighed and waved his hand.

"Hurry up." He glared half-heartedly at Alfred who grinned and got up.

"Yo Ivan, what's up?" Alfred walked away. As soon as he was out of earshot, Arthur turned to Matthew.

"Just who the bloody hell is Ivan?" Arthur demanded a little too forcefully. Francis chuckled in that annoying way of his.

"O hon hon hon, Arthur. Are you jealous, _mon ami_?" Arthur ignored him.

"He's Alfred's ex-boyfriend," Matthew answered warily. The information hit Arthur in the stomach like a ton of bricks, but somehow he was unsurprised.

"And?" Arthur stared down the Canadian so hard it looked as if Matthew would burst into tears. He slouched in his seat, trying to avoid the poisonous green eyes.

"A-and…he's Russian?"

Arthur sighed, trying to control his strange over-protectiveness. "You know perfectly well that's not what I'm talking about. You're a smart boy, Matthew. You don't like him for a damn good reason."

"A-and Alfred kinda…sorta…proposedtohimtwoyearsago," Matthew mumbled, then repeated louder. "Alfred proposed to him two years ago. Ivan broke his heart and I don't want that Russian anywhere near my brother. Please, don't tell Alfred I told you! He doesn't like people knowing!" Matthew was turning red with embarrassment. "Oh God Arthur, why do you have to ask me questions?"

_Bloody fucking hell._

"Poor Alfred!" Francis moaned, sliding his hand along Matthew's leg. Matthew squeaked. "That must have been so horrible for him!"

"Not that'd he'd ever tell you," Matthew muttered. "Ivan laughed and said no and they had this huge fight in the middle of a party and broke up. It was really bad…I mean, Alfred's so headstrong and confident and after that all he did was mope around the house. Ivan meant a lot to him." Matthew was silent for a moment. "But I never liked him. Not for one moment. Alfred always believed in the good in people, but there was not one good thing about Ivan. They started yelling, and they were always at each other's throats, but the next day Alfred wouldn't shut up about him. They were together three years."

_Three years…he proposed…_

"What do you mean they were always at each other's throats?" Francis asked.

"Just that. They met at a bar. They got in a fight, Alfred punched him in the face, Ivan broke a barstool over his head, and they landed in the hospital." Matthew shook his head. "While everyone was debating who started the fight, Alfred made friends with the guy! Who makes friends with the guy that bashes you over the head with a barstool, eh?" Matthew stood. "I'm going to check on him. I don't like when he talks to Ivan this long." He left, leaving a scowling Arthur and awkward Francis behind.

"Arthur, _mon ami_, you are turning green with jealousy," Francis remarked.

_He proposed…and they said no…_

"It is an ugly thing, jealousy," Francis continued. "Alfred and Ivan are not together anymore, and it doesn't matter. It was two years ago."

"I just don't understand," Arthur murmured, half-unaware of what he was saying. "Who would say no to him? Who in their right mind would say 'oh you're so wonderful and fucking beautiful and the kindest person to ever walk on this damn Earth but you're just not my type, sorry'? Who? Why?" He stared at his plate and fury roiled in his stomach. He didn't know much about Ivan, but what he did know he didn't like.

"Would you tell Alfred no?" Francis leered, staring at him knowingly. Arthur sputtered incomprehensively.

"Alfred and I aren't even dating! Even considering marrying him is preposterous!" Arthur finally managed to choke out, blushing heavily. "We've only known each other a month."

"And you haven't made any sort of move on him!" Francis exclaimed. "What would Elizaveta say?"

"The tosser is only here for a short period of time," Arthur spat through gritted teeth, blushing further. "How could I possibly consider making a move on him? I wasn't even thinking about it…erm, I mean he's nice, but…oh bollocks, Francis look at him! Look at me!" Arthur gestured in the direction Alfred had walked off, then at himself. "We would never happen."

Francis frowned. "Come now, Arthur, I know we make fun of your caterpillars for eyebrows, and your sad excuse for a wardrobe, but you really are a very handsome man. You can't help being British."

Before Arthur had the time to lunge across the table and throttle the Frenchman, Matthew and Alfred returned. Alfred grinned like nothing was wrong, and Matthew seemed much more relaxed. Arthur glanced at Alfred and wondered how anyone could reject him. Ivan should be ashamed of himself. No one should ever reject Alfred.

"Sorry about that, guys!" Alfred declared, plopping next to Arthur. "Ivan wanted to meet up but I said no, come on dude! It's a freaking six hour drive!"

"I told you to tell him no," Matthew muttered, scowling a little.

"I was gonna tell him no anyway Mattie, geez. Calm yo tits!" Alfred stuck out his tongue as Matthew flushed and Francis immediately glanced at Matthew's chest. "I don't know why you're so worried all the time. I'm older than you! I have all the wisdom and stuff!"

"'And stuff,'" Matthew mimicked, and conversation went back to normal.

Arthur tried to engage himself in the conversation, but he was lost in thought. _Ivan…Ivan…the guy who had, held, and broke Alfred's heart…what was he like?_ Matthew made it seem as if he was a bad person. Was he like that? Was he a bad person? Was he a biker? Matthew said he was Russian. What if he was in the Russian mafia? Arthur swallowed thickly at that thought. Alfred wouldn't date a gangster…right?

But why should Alfred's ex-boyfriend/almost fiancée bother Arthur? He knew why, even though he was loath to admit it. It angered him to think that someone willingly broke Alfred's heart by saying no. It pissed him off! It made him feel like…like…smashing Ivan over the head with a shovel or something crazy like that (or what he did in college). Alfred was an amazing person. He didn't deserve to be hurt.

The drive home was very, very awkward.

"Artie. Artie. Artie? Artie. Artie! Artie! _Artie!_ ARTIE! Arthur. Arthur Kirkland." Alfred coughed and spoke in a terrible, nasally imitation of a British accent. "Arthur Kirkland, I am here to inform you that your awesome best friend is talking to you." He was met with silence. "Dude, you've been acting really weird since dinner." Arthur broke out of his trance and scoffed.

"I have not been acting weird, Alfred. You're just being stupid," Arthur retorted without any of his usual bite.

"Dude, I know when you're acting weird. And you're acting weird right now." Alfred nudged him. An awkward pause filled the air. "Is it about Ivan?"

"What? What does Ivan have to do with this?" Arthur ran a red light. Fantastic.

"I dunno. I thought you'd be mad at me for leaving the table to talk. Mattie said I was being rude." Alfred scratched the back of his head. "I mean, I guess I could have talked there, but I thought that'd be ruder, and you're all proper and stuff so…I dunno." He laughed. "Seriously, dude, you're the perfect gentleman, only with an attitude! But you never yell at anyone else like you yell at me. What's that about?"

"You're just a special case, Alfred."

"Aaaw, Artie—"

"The way an asylum is a hotel."

"You ass." Alfred was grinning. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"How did we even get on this topic? You asked why I yell at you, then you thank me for calling you special." Alfred _was_ special though, not that Arthur would admit it. He put Arthur at ease. He could swear like a sailor and Alfred wouldn't mind. He didn't have to constantly be a professional because Alfred didn't expect it. Arthur looked over at Alfred to see his grin slip into a contemplative expression.

"I dunno. You called me special, it felt nice," Alfred murmured, gazing at his hands and looking like a shy little schoolboy about to confess his first crush. He suddenly put his feet up on the dashboard. "Like I'm important, which I am because I'm the hero. It's just nice to hear you say it." Arthur felt something on the inside melt into a pile of goo. "Anyway, why are you all contemplatey and stuff?"

Arthur frowned. "'Contemplatey' is not a word, and even if it was, I'm not," Arthur replied. "Am I not permitted to change my mood while you fuel up on your ADHD?"

"Wuuuuuut? You always change moods! You're like the little effed up mood necklaces in the dollar store the middle school girls wear all the time, the one where if you hold it in your hand for like a minute it turns all possible colors. You're like that thing." Alfred smiled at his simile. "It's just that you've been in that contemplatey mood for a while, and I'm a little worried."

"Oh no, you're worried," Arthur said in a monotone, mocking voice.

"I'm serious here Arthur, I—shit! Matthew told you didn't he?" Alfred shouted suddenly.

"What?"

"He told you all about me and Ivan, didn't he? Damn it, Mattie, I'm hiding your teddy bear for this!" Alfred huffed and pouted. "He told you about how Ivan and I dated and that I proposed, huh!"

Arthur glanced at him then turned his eyes back to the road, amazed and wide-eyed. Alfred figured the entire thing out! Damn. "How did you know?"

"'Cause I can tell!" Alfred was yelling louder. "It's not that big a deal, okay? You don't have to act weird! I was stupid for dating Ivan. I was an idiot for thinking he was The One. I met him in college and he was so cool, ya know? He's that kind of guy you don't wanna take home to your parents but you wanna piss them off anyway because they chew you out all the time. Didn't you do stupid stuff in college?" Arthur's ears turned red.

Alfred would never know about the punk rock band, or the tattoos that were removed with extensive laser surgery, the dare to jump from a fourth floor window, the piercings, the green hair, the leather pants, the broken into cars that he never actually robbed but just felt like breaking into and other things that were just mostly blurry drunken memories. It took a lot of bribe money and blackmail to keep it all hushed up. "Not relevant," Arthur replied. Alfred glared.

"Well anyway, even though we dated a long time, it was one of those on-again-off-again things. We fought about too many things. Ivan was crazy and I just…" his voice trailed off. He spoke again softly. "I just wanted to be his hero. I just wanted to save somebody, you know? And I thought that by loving me and loving him back, I'd save him. I still talk to him, not because I still love him, but I'm hoping one day I can help him. One day I'll save him from the mess he's made of himself. I know that's stupid because Ivan isn't the type of person to be saved…he's the guy that tries to make you burn with him."

Something lay broken in Alfred's voice, and Arthur didn't know what it was. His heart? Hope? But one this was certain: he hated Ivan even more now. Whatever had happened had been terrible, and Alfred knew it. Arthur stopped at the red light, leaned over, and pulled Alfred into a hug. Alfred was always hugging Arthur, never the other way around. It was warm and tender and felt different than when Alfred flung himself on Arthur. It was as if Arthur was trying to hold Alfred together, as if Alfred would shatter into thousands of pieces.

The light turned green, and Arthur let go and drove. The car was silent. Arthur's nerves were fraying. _I hugged him. He hugs me constantly, and I hug him once and now he won't speak?_ It wasn't making sense.

They pulled into the parking lot and Arthur headed for the door, Alfred trailing behind. They made it to their floor and Arthur had enough. He rounded on Alfred, hands on his hips. "Alright Alfred what is? I hug you once, and you act as if I told you to kick puppies off of a cliff!"

Alfred gazed at him blankly. "What?"

"You've been silent since I hugged you! It's strange and suspicious!"

"Just thinking."

"I didn't know it was so difficult for you to think and talk at the same time." Arthur stared at him crossly. He didn't like a silent Alfred, it was unnatural. To Arthur's surprise, Alfred reached out, and grasped Arthur's wrist, pulling them together, wrapping an arm around Arthur's waist, caressing Arthur's face, and making Arthur's heart do unnatural flips. Their faces were only an inch away and those true blue eyes staring at him intensely behind thin glasses.

"Arthur…" Alfred whispered breathily. "I know this is kind of the worst time to tell you this, but I like you. A lot."

"I like you a lot too, git," Arthur replied softly before he could stop himself. His face immediately flushed pink, but ignored it, still gazing in Alfred's eyes. They gazed at each other for a moment. Just a moment.

And then they kissed.

* * *

><p>Ohmegawd. *flails arms* That was overly cheesy (but cute right?) Please tell me so. xD<p>

This was Beta'd by the super amazing fantastic OMG great: **Principessa Dell'Opera**: I love you~! You're so wonderful! *squee* Sorry about the RusAme. xD

Anyway, most of you guys got that Ivan thing right. xD Not very suspenseful is it? Sorry about that, but HEY bet you weren't expecting that proposal thing were you? That was totally a twist right? Let me know if I should be putting on my M. Night Shyamalan mask.

**To Artfan:** HOLY CRAP! I love you too. *hug* I love anyone who loves me. :3 I'm pretty simple like that. **To CaptainCynical**: Awaha! Now we know how Alfred feels. I hope I cleared up Arthur's anger issues, he's snappy because that's how he acts to those he likes...and Alfred likes it too. xD Your comment totally made me realize how I need to explain that better so thank you! *heart* **To DancingQueen:** I already soooo told you this but you've inspired there to possibly be some Spamano in the next chapter. **To Natalya:** Awesome chapter? YOU MY DEAR ARE AN AWESOME PERSON. *highfive* **To Unknown Variable:** You were correct. :3 Take a cupcake. *hands cupcake*

Thank you all readers~! You guys are fantastic! Every time I get a fave or alert I go all sparkly eyed. *-*

Reviews are super awesome too...*cough cough* Soooo if you do it...you recieve much of my love! In the next chapter there shall be...*spoiler* Gilbert. *evil grin*


	5. Chapter 4

Pairing: US/UK

Note:...I'm sorry this took so long! DX

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><p>A Complex Apartment<p>

Arthur Kirkland was a knowledgeable man. He took pride in the amount of knowledge he possessed; he may have been rather insecure in regards to his looks (those damn eyebrows!), but when it came to his rather impressive brain, he had full confidence in himself. But as he gazed at Alfred after they parted, their arms still around each other, Arthur realized he had no idea what was going through that American's mind. Arthur liked to know things; he was caught off-guard by this realization and it seemed to be a bit more than mildly important to know what Alfred was thinking, especially since they _had_ just kissed. But Alfred just stood there holding him, a soft smile on his face and his eyes shining and Arthur's train of thought derailed.

"This means we're dating, right? You're my boyfriend now, right? Well, I guess we have to go on a date first, but we've hung out a lot, so those should count as dates, right?"

"Alfred—"

"But we should totally have an official date because I think it'd be really cool and I have a great idea for a date…"

"Alfred—"

"And I'd really like to hold your hand and stuff, and oh! We should totally tell Mattie and Francis, maybe they have a good idea where to go for a date…"

"Alfred!" Alfred stopped midsentence and smiled down at Arthur, making his heart do some funny acrobatics in his chest. "We just spent the past hour talking about your past screwed up relationships and you want to start dating?" Arthur's fingertips brushed against Alfred's lips, and Arthur smirked. "But I suppose stupid things like that makes sense to you, yes?"

Alfred grinned and rested his forehead against Arthur's, letting their noses brush. "Yeah usually. I don't usually date stubborn, rude, sarcastic, anally neat British guys, and it doesn't make much sense but I'm going for it." He leaned in and kissed Arthur again, longer and deeper than before and Arthur gladly kissed back.

"It's the accent," Arthur replied when they broke apart. "You Americans find British accents so bloody attractive. Doesn't make a damn bit of sense, either."

"So you agree we're dating now?" Alfred asked excitedly, squeezing Arthur into him. Arthur squawked. "I can now officially say 'I'm Alfred Jones and that super sexy guy over there with the eyebrows is my fucking hot and awesome boyfriend Arthur Kirkland'? Because I just said that sentence once and I really wanna say it again."

"Yes," Arthur agreed, reveling in the way his chest swelled with happiness with the word and the way Alfred's face was so bright with emotion even though the hall was dim. He was sure this had to be one of the best decisions in his entire life. "We're dating."

Alfred whooped and picked Arthur up, twirling him in a circle. "YEAH! I'M DATING ARTHUR KIRKLAND! WHOO!"

"Christ, Alfred! Put me down!" Arthur gasped, pushing against Alfred's shoulders. The door opened and Matthew appeared, cuddling a teddy bear and staring at them in annoyance.

Alfred froze mid-twirl and Arthur stopped mid-shove. Matthew sighed and looked at the teddy bear he held tightly. "That took long enough, didn't it Mr. Tamaguchi?"

"Dude, I thought his name was Mr. Kumajiro," Alfred said. Matthew ignored him and shut the door. Alfred laughed. Arthur scowled.

"Shove it," he mock-growled, and stalked into the apartment, Alfred following like an excited puppy. "It's late, I'm tired, I'm going to bed."

"So, when do I get to move into your room?" Alfred asked happily. Arthur gave him a Look and shut his bedroom door firmly. "Oh, you know that's cool. I'll take that as a while then. But I totally live here too." Alfred grinned as he retreated to his own room.

Alfred really liked Arthur. Arthur really liked Alfred. So they both had a reason to grin and blush and celebrate quietly in their rooms.

Unfortunately, Francis had to ruin the effects the next morning. "Ah, at last! Arthur you are finally as they say, 'getting some'!"

All of a sudden, Francis was in the fetal position on the floor and whimpering while holding his nose as Arthur loomed over him threateningly with a frying pan that had connected quite violently with Francis's face. "Shut the hell up!" he yelled. He waved the frying pan around as if threatening to hit him again—which he might. "We just began dating, you lewd bugger! Unlike you, I don't dive desperately into someone's pants on the first date! Except Matthew!" Arthur rounded on Matthew, pointing the frying pan at him. Matthew shrank back in his seat, seemingly trying to disappear. "You're not desperate! You're a fine, respectable young man who had enough sense to not sleep with this sexual deviant on the first date! I _still_ haven't figured out why you're with him!"

"O-okay," Matthew squeaked. Alfred looked horror-stricken.

"Wait Mattie! He tried to get with you on the first date!" He grabbed his brother's shoulders. "Did he brainwash you? Is this relationship all just Stockholm syndrome? You're a good boy, Matthew, you wouldn't date someone who did something like that, right?" He began to shake Matthew a bit violently. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?" He turned to Francis who was crawling onto his chair and tackled him to the floor. "YOU FIEND! TRYING TO CORRUPT MY BROTHER WITH YOUR DICK! HOW DARE YOU! TREACHEROUS SNEAK—!"

"_Oui_, I tried unsuccessfully to sleep with your brother on the first date!" Francis squealed, trying fruitlessly to get away from the much bigger and stronger Alfred. "But _mon Dieu_, the way Matthew looks when we make sweet _amour_—"

Matthew squeaked, turning bright red, Arthur kicked Francis's shins while clapping his hands over his ears, and Alfred bellowed loudly while shaking Francis violently, occasionally banging his head against the floor yelling "SHUT UP, DUDE, SHUT UP!"

Arthur pried Alfred away from Francis with difficulty. "I swear between the two of you I'm going to go mad. Thank God for Matthew who is the only other sane individual in this flat." He turned to Matthew, shaking his head. "I don't even want to think about the sort of people your brother was friends with back where you lived. I'm sure you must have been terrified half the time."

"Eh, his friends weren't all bad, like Feliciano." Matthew smiled. "He was really sweet and fun. He wasn't the brightest crayon in the box—"

"Dude, that's my line!"

"—but a good guy. I didn't like Ludwig all that much though. Always hung out with Feli. Really intimidating. He made me nervous, but he's a good guy. Just serious."

"I thought he was like Tarzan, he just stared all the time," Alfred added from the floor. "But holy guacamole that accent!"

"'Holy guacamole' Alfred? Are you serious?" Arthur asked from the stove. He looked over his shoulder as he continued cooking. "And why do you have so many friends with accents? It's rather strange."

"I run into a lot of different people," Alfred shrugged, plopping himself back in his seat and shoveling more food in his mouth.

_BANG!_

Everyone started around the table. Arthur frowned as Matthew looked around nervously, Alfred stopped chewing for a moment looking like a deer caught in headlights, and Francis was still forlornly rubbing his nose. "What was that?" Arthur asked after a moment.

"I think it was the door," Matthew whispered. Alfred jumped up, swallowing in what looked like a painful manner.

"I'll get it!" Alfred ran out of the kitchen and they heard the front door swing open. "DUDE!" Alfred yelled and the sound of exceedingly obnoxious laughter filled the air. Laughter that wasn't Alfred's. Arthur's stomach clenched in nervousness. Who was it at the door? They hadn't buzzed anyone up.

Matthew ran into the hall followed by Francis, then followed by Arthur. Standing in the doorway was a man with stark white hair and ruby-red eyes—albino traits. He had a self-satisfied smirk on his lips and a…bird in his hair. A live, chirping bird. And it was sitting on his head like it was just a normal occurrence.

"Alfred who's this?" Arthur finally asked. The red eyes snapped to Arthur's green ones, and the albino's smirk turned into a leer.

"What? Don't tell me Alfred never mentioned the awesome me!" The man strode into the apartment and slung his arm around Matthew's shoulders, still leering. "Hey Mattie! Haven't seen you in forever."

Matthew smiled in his shy way and patted the man's shoulder. "Hey Gilbert."

Gilbert? Gilbert. Gilbert…_Gilbert…_

Suddenly it clicked and Arthur reeled back. "WAIT. _That's_ Gilbert? The burn every-bloody-thing to the ground Gilbert? And he's HERE in my APARTMENT?" Arthur's heart clenched. It would really be quite rude to throw his guest out the nearest window, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Aha!" Gilbert declared, pointing dramatically at Arthur's face. "He _has_ told you about me. Don't worry, I'm just as awesome as all the stories say I am. I didn't bring my flamethrower today, don't get your panties in a knot. Actually, I don't have it anymore. Stupid government thinks it can tell me what's legal and stuff. What it _doesn't_ know is that I have people on the inside who're getting it back, so that'll show them!" He crossed his arms with an extremely cocky grin on his smug face.

Dearest God in Heaven, Gilbert was a criminal. "So why're you here, Gil?" Alfred asked, punching Gilbert's shoulder lightly.

"More importantly, how did you get in?" Arthur demanded. Francis hadn't said a word the entire time, but had inched closer to Matthew and put his arm around Matthew's waist possessively.

Gilbert shrugged. "Broke in. Not a big deal, just a few locks and electronics, nothing the awesome me can't handle. Besides, wanted to hang out with my bro!" Arthur stared at the two grinning idiots standing in front of him and realized that the two of them were peas in a pond. Both were quite self-centered, prone to doing dangerous things, and lacked an extraordinary amount of common knowledge.

But Arthur _liked_ Alfred, not Gilbert. Alfred was a sweetheart and Arthur found himself falling quite deeply for the idiot. Gilbert made Arthur want to commit homicide.

"Well I'm totally shocked, dude," Alfred stated brightly. "And we've got all day to hang!" Arthur frowned and looked away. _No you don't_, he thought. _You don't have all day to hang out at all. It's our first day together, why does your pyromaniac friend have to be here?_ "With my boyfriend Arthur, of course," Alfred said, derailing Arthur's train of thought again. Arthur flushed a little, pleased that he wasn't being disregarded. Alfred fistpumped. "YES! That sounded just as awesome as I thought it would!"

Gilbert froze and stared from Alfred to Arthur and then back to Alfred. "You're dating him? The boring British guy with the retarded eyebrows?" Gilbert patted Alfred's shoulder consolingly. "Alfred, it's okay. You _are_ super cool, so you don't have to lower your standards. You can do better than him."

Arthur's face steadily got redder with rage. Gilbert was a certifiable ass.

Before Arthur could retort, Alfred stepped in, a very serious look on his face. "Yo dude, that's my boyfriend you're trash talking. Arthur's fucking awesome, you can't judge." Alfred folded his arms across his chest menacingly. "So shove it or I'll tell Ludwig where you hide your porn."

"Damn it, Alfred," Gilbert whined, scuffing the floor. Arthur's temper flared. "Alright fine, I won't talk bad about your boyfriend."

"Good. Now apologize."

"Are you s—"

"Do it."

Gilbert turned to Arthur who scowled at him impressively. "I'm sorry Arthur for totally ripping you a new one and not getting to know you first but Alfred's my best friend and I never thought he'd date someone like you," Gilbert recited in a monotone voice, sticking his (pierced) tongue out at Alfred. It really wasn't an apology, but Arthur figured that it was as good as he'd get, and besides, that commanding serious side of Alfred was really, _really_ sexy.

He was so glad that no one else could tell what he was thinking.

"Good," Alfred smirked. He turned to Arthur, his excited grin back on his face. "So, you'll come and hang out with me and Gilbert today, right?"

Arthur couldn't help himself. "It's 'Gilbert and I', Alfred." But he paused. He wanted to go with them, he really did. He had the terrible premonition that if the two of them were allowed to run around amuck in an unsuspecting city, more than just innocent homes would be burnt to the ground. He did not need to see that in a newspaper in the mornings. _KIRKLAND'S GAY LOVER AND CRAZED MANIAC WITH BIRD WREAK HAVOC_. No, he did not need to see that. "Unfortunately, I cannot accompany you. Unlike some people, I still have to work on weekends."

Alfred's eyes were wide with disappointment, but Arthur couldn't give in. "I have work too, Artie! I have seven classes! SEVEN! And the kids won't mind if I take a little longer getting their tests back to them."

"Regardless, Alfred, I cannot accompany you. Take your mobile and ring me if something happens. Are you driving? Does Gilbert even have a license?" Arthur asked worriedly.

"Calm down, Dad. We'll be fine, sheesh." Alfred rolled his eyes and laughed. "We're geniuses and we totally know what we're doing. Don't worry."

Arthur was sure Alfred was going to die. It had to be the world record for shortest and least productive relationship ever, gay or otherwise. Arthur was going to lose his Alfred to this insane albino who had a blatant disregard for laws, rules, social propriety and hygiene (a _bird_ sitting in his _hair _was probably quite messy).

Alfred suddenly grabbed Arthur around the waist and swung him around, dipping him carefully and kissing his forehead. Arthur was too surprised to do anything other than gasp and blush deeply. "And so my princess, I must bid you farewell for the time being," Alfred declared. He stood Arthur upright again and kissed his lips fleetingly. Arthur scowled and folded his arms. "Call me when you get home."

Arthur had no idea what he had been thinking of earlier, but he was pretty sure he was the luckiest guy alive right now. "You ring me and let me know you're alive!" he yelled after the sauntering duo.

"It'll be cool, babe! Don't worry!" Alfred shouted before closing the door to the accompaniment of Gilbert's cackling. Arthur rounded on Matthew, trying to ignore the way his face had caught fire when Alfred called him "babe" and Francis snickering.

"Will they be 'cool'?" Arthur asked Matthew worriedly.

"I hope so," Matthew answered, glancing at the door. "Gil's not his worst friend, but still. He tries, he really does, but he's not the best friend for Al. I wish Kiku had come to visit instead." Matthew looked at Francis and Arthur. "One of you should have gone with them; I have work too."

"_Non, ma cherie_," Francis shook his head. "Gilbert is an ass."

Arthur's face quickly drained of color. Francis thought someone was an ass? Yes, Alfred was going to die.

=^.^=

Work was hell. Arthur couldn't help but imagine all sorts of grisly scenarios all the fault of one crazy albino. But, Arthur tried to reason, Gilbert is Alfred's friend. He wouldn't hurt him on purpose. He shouldn't jump to conclusions so quickly. He'd done that with Alfred and now the man was his boyfriend!

Well, boyfriend for only a day, but boyfriend nevertheless! Arthur really liked Alfred (and if he kept thinking about it he was sure he would be halfway in love before he knew it), and he got absolutely giddy each time he thought about it. Arthur banged his head on his desk. He was going to end up like Francis at this rate, all roses and glitter and rainbows. Arthur banged his head on his desk again and groaned. He was pathetic. He really hoped that Alfred got this way whenever he thought about Arthur. That way they were both pathetic.

Suddenly Arthur's cell phone rang with Alfred's voice. "YO! ALFRED THE HERO JUST SENT YOU A TEXT!" Arthur startled so violently that he almost fell off the chair. When had that wanker changed his ringtones again! Arthur quickly put it on vibrate and looked at the message.

_Yo artie wats the best way 2 stop a nosebleed?_ it read. Arthur glared at the device so hard that he was surprised when it didn't catch fire.

_Who the hell has a bloody nose and why?_ he texted back. He set the phone down and attempted to get back to work, but was distracted waiting and praying for a reply. When the phone vibrated, he pounced and opened it as quickly as he could.

_Lol bcuz ur british that totes reads like "who the hell has a nose" u kno? Bcuz u say bloody in a sentence anyway? When i saw that i lold. I seriously lold. _Arthur frowned and grimaced at the awful language and spelling. He texted back quickly.

_That does not answer my damn question, Alfred_, he responded. Alfred had better answer or there would be hell to pay. Arthur hoped Alfred knew that.

Finally the next text arrived after what seemed like hours. _Well u see i punched gil in da face. We got into a fight. But we r cool now xcept gilbert, he has the bloody nose. Oh and i have a bite mark on my arm. Its kinda bleeding. But dont worry im pretty sure gil doesnt have rabies._

Arthur didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he just banged his head on his desk again and growled in frustration. It had only been four hours since Gilbert had arrived and already they had gotten into a fight. Their dominating personalities probably didn't mix well. That would cause fights, but nothing to warrant a punch in the face.

Arthur texted back slowly the safest question he could ask. _Why did you punch Gilbert in the face?_

_Bad news._

Arthur raised an eyebrow. _What sort of bad news?_

_I dont wanna talk about it._

_Tell me or I'll lock you in Francis and Matthew's room and get Francis drunk._

_Damn it! U had 2 play the trump card. Fine. None of this is my fault! Gil gave away ur address 2 all my friends and not-friends back home so theyre all coming over next weekend. I told him u wouldnt like it but he said who cares wat that boring british loser thinks and I punched him in the face bcuz he was dissin u._

Arthur smiled a little and saved the text. It was quite sweet and noble and stupid of him. _You punched your friend because he was bad mouthing me?_

_Yup._

_You shouldn't do that Alfred, you're a grown man. Grown men don't just punch people for trivial little reasons. Now I have to get back to work. Text Matthew or Francis about how to stop a bloody nose._ Arthur put the phone away and smirked. When he was punched in the face he was a man about it. He let the blood just drip and then kicked the man that hit him in the ribs. Ribs were much better to hit with steel-toed boots. Gilbert was a baby. And Arthur didn't like that he'd bitten Alfred.

Suddenly he stopped and the smirk slid off his face. Alfred had said more of his friends (and non-friends) were coming to visit. Next. Week.

Arthur bellowed so loudly that no one tried to enter his office for the rest of the day.

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><p>I'm so sorry guys! My Beta: <strong>Principessa Dell'Opera<strong> broke her arm~! But it's **billion times better** because of her because she's **awesome**! So it was totally worth the wait. And I'm **REALLY REALLY SORRY**! I love you all soooo much. Please, please, PLEASE review to let me know you're still reading. *teary eyes* It'd mean the world to me. Also, I know this is rated T but how many of you would be overjoyed if I changed that rating?...Let me know, it's serious. So review to let me know you still care and review to vote! You can also guess all the people coming to the unwanted party. Next chapter is full of more drama and shiz. Like a rainbow explosion. Review! Love you all and love you Principessa Dell'Opera because you're super-cool-fantastic~! Hard-core enough to finish this even after having broken arm. AMERICA!


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